Knitting-machine needle.



No. 677,806. Patented July 2, mm. R. w. soon.

KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE.

' (Application filed Dec. 3, 1903.1

(No Model.)

5507 .EOsPZ M56056.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE I-IALF TO LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, OF ASHBOURNE, PENNSYLVANIA;

KNITTING-MACHINE NEEDLE. f

SPECIFICATION formingpartof Letterslatent No. 677,806, dated July 2, 190l Application filed December 3, 1900. Serial No. 38,468. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. Soon, a.

' butts cooperating with cams or other elements of the mechanism of the machine and formed upon the stem or shank of the needle by bond ing a portion of said stem'or shank, the object of my invention being to so construct such needle-butts that they will be better calculated than usual to resist the wear and strain to which they are subjected in use.

As knitting-machine needles are at present constructed the Wire of which the stem or shank of the needle is composed is doubled upon itself, so as to form a projecting butt, and then flattened to fit in the groove of the needle-cylinder. The primary member of the buttthat is to say, the member which rises directly from the stem of the needle-receives little or 'no support from the secondary or reversely-bent member, which being free, except at the bend at the outer end of the butt, yields to lateral thrust. Hence the greater part of the wear and strain upon the butt are necessarily imposed upon the primary member of the same, with the result that the butts are frequently broken, the replacing of nee-l dles rendered defective from this cause being a serious tax upon the users of knitting-machines, especially those of the automatic or semi-automatic type in which the butts of the needles, besides engaging with the cams, whereby a reciprocating movement is imparted to the needles, also perform a function in the operation of picking the needles into and out of action during the narrowing-and widening of the web.

Various means have been resorted to for effecting the intimate union of the members of the butt. For instance, these members have been secured together by soldering or brazing or have been encircled by a retaining and stiffening band, or the butt has been replaced by a separate member or so-called jack, usually of metal, in which the needle-shank was secured by means of solder;

but all of these plans are open to serious objection, either on the score of greatly increased' initial cost of the needle or the difficulty of maintaining absolute uniformity of length from the butt to the hook of the needle,which, as is well known to those skilled in the art, is necessary for the production of good results in any knitting-machine. At present, therefore, such devices have been practically abandoned and the simple needle, formed from wire with the butt bent up from the stem, is used in spite of the expense arising from the replacing of broken needles.

In many machines for producing seamless tubular fabrics with pockets thereon reciprocating as well as rotating movement of the operating parts is necessary, and the butts of the needles are subjected to the action of certain picking devices, whereby they are moved into or out of range of the cams of the machine, and the wear and thrust of both cams and picking devicesare exerted sometimes upon one side of the butt and sometimes upon the opposite side of the same, and the strains upon the butt due to picking the same into and out of operative position are exerted upon the primary member in effecting one movement and upon the secondary member ineffecting the other movement.- Consequently unless the two members of the butt are laterally locked in some manner the strength and wearing qualities of the butt are that of the weaker member only.

With the view of overcoming the objections to knitting-machine needles as heretofore constructed I have devised a needle wherein the two members of the butt are locked in position laterally, preferably by engagement one with the other, without the necessity of any soldering or brazing together of said members, so that the butt is practically a unit and independent lateral movement or wear of either member is eifectually prevented.

In the accompanying drawings, in which all of the views are on an exaggerated scale, some, however, being on a larger scale than others, Figure 1 represents a side View of a knitting-machine needle having a butt thereon made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section on the line aa, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section on the line b b, Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a still more enlarged perspective View showing the first step in the formation of the needle-butt in accordance with my invention. Fig. 5 is a side view illustrating a method of locking the secondary member of the butt to the stemof the needle instead of to the primary member of the butt. Fig. 6 is a sectional View on the line 0 c, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional View illustrating another modification of this idea. Fig. 8 is a side view showing another method of locking the primary and secondary members of the butt together. Fig. 9 is a transverse section on the line ff, Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a secton similar to Fig. 9, but illustrating another form of lock for the two members of the butt. Fig. 11 is a side view illustrating one form of rivet structure for laterally locking the two members of the butt. Fig. 12 is an en larged transverse section on the line g g, Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a side View illustrating another embodiment of the rivet idea. Fig. 14 is a transverse section on the line it, Fig. 13; and Figs. 15 and 16 are side views illustrating the application of my invention to needles having a double shank or stem below the butt.

the needle-butt at 2, and the secondary member at 3, said primary member of the butt beneedle-stem at right angles thereto and the secondary member being formed by a reverse bend of the metal. I

As shown in Fig. 1,. each m ember of the butt has two projecting tongues 4, each of about half the thickness of the butt, these projecting tongues entering corresponding recesses in the other member of the butt, as shown in Fig. 3, with the effect of rigidly locking together the two members of the butt, so far as any lateral movement of either member independent of the other is concerned. The tongues 4 and recesses 5'can be readily formed upon the members of the butt at one operation by the action of suitable dies, while said members of each other, as shown'in Fig. 4, the subsequent bending in of the secondary member of the and recesses, as will be readily understood. It is not essential to the proper carrying out ofmy invention, however, that the two members of the butt should be interlocked with each other, as the secondary member of the butt may be interlocked with the stem or shank of the needle in some cases with good results. Thus, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the

permost and is grooved or notched at the end for engaging with the face of the needle-stem 1, which it overlaps sufficiently to provide the desired lateral locking engagement of the two, or the needle-stem may have a central projecting tongue 43 for engaging with a central recess in the end of the secondary member of the butt, as shown in Fig. 7. Other means than that shown in Fig. 1 may also be adopted for looking together the two members of the butt. Thus in Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown a construction in which both members 2 and 3 of the butt are flattened, so as to overlap each other throughout practically the whole depth of the butt, as shown at 4, Fig. 9, and in'Fig. 10 I have illustrated a construction in which a V-shaped groove in the underside of the member 2 of the butt 'receives a corresponding V-shaped rib upon the upper edge of the member 3 of said butt. In all of the structures thus far described the locking elements are formed from the ;metal of the needle itself; but my invention in its broader phases can be embodied in a I needle in which the locking means comprises a separate elem'entfor instance, a transverse rivet 7, engaging countersunk recesses formed'in the adjoining faces of the members 2 and 3 of the butt, as shown in Figs. 11

and 12, or a vertical rivet S, passing through the members 2 and 3 of thebutt, as shown 'in Figs. 13 and 14. In all such cases, however, the securing means are within the lateral dimensions of the butt formed by bend- In Fig. 1 the stem or shank of the needle is represented at 1, the primary member of ing the needle-stem, so that the needle requires no more space in the'machine than an ordinary needle, and hence can be used in machines of the finest gage. ing formed by bending up the metal of the -1 In applying my invention to that class of needles which have a double stem or shank below the butt I preferably lock together the two members 9 and 10 of this double shank by means of engaging tongues and recesses 3 similar tothose of the butt, as shown in Fig. i 15, or the secondary member of the double shank may also be locked to the stem of the needle, as at 4' in that class of needles shown in Fig. 16, and in some cases this looking to- ,gether of the members of the double shank Fmay be the only lateral locking of the parts l1 resorted to, as measurably good results might I be attained even in such cases. f preferred, however, to locktogether the members of the butt itself.

1 the buttoccupy a position at right angles to It is always Having thus described my invention, I

claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat- Pent-- butt causing the interlocking of the tongues 1. A knitting-machine needle having a projecting butt composed of primary and secfondar'y members formed by bending the nee- ;dle-stem, in combination with locking means [within the lateral dimensions of the butt so formed for preventing'lateral displacement in either direction, of either member of the butt in respect to the other, substantially as specified.

secondary member 3 of the butt is the up- 2. A knitting-machine needle having a projecting butt consisting of primary and secondary members formed by bending the needie-stem, in combination with means forming tion, of either member of the butt in respect to the other.

3. A knitting-machine needle having aprojecting butt composed of primary and secondary members formed by bending the nee die-stem, in combination with locking means within the lateral dimensions of the butt so formed, for locking the members of the butt together against lateral displacement in either direction, substantially as specified.

4:. Aknitting-machine needle having a projecting butt consisting of primary and sec ondary members formed by bending the needle-stem, in combination with means forming part of the metal of the butt, for locking the members of said butt together against lateral displacement in either direction.

5. Aknitting-machine needle having a pro jecting butt comprising primary and secondary members having laterally-engaging tongues and recesses for locking them together against lateral displacement in either direction.

6. Aknitting-machine needle blank having its stem bent to form, at an angle to each other, members of a projecting butt, said members having tongues and recesses adapted to interlock when the bending of the members of the butt has been completed.

7. A knitting-machine needle having a projecting butt and a bent and doubled shank below the same, said double shank being combined with means, within the lateral dimensions of the shank so formed, for preventing lateral displacement of one member of said double shank in respect to the other.

8. A knitting-machine needle having a projecting butt and a bent and doubled shank below the same, said double shank having means, forming part of the metal of the shank, for preventing lateral displacement of one member of the shank in respect to the other.

9. A knitting-machine needle having a projecting butt and doubled shank below the same, both formed by bending the stem of the needle, in combination with means, Within the lateral dimensions of the butt and shank so formed, for preventing lateral displacement of either member of the butt or shank in respect to the other.

10. A knitting-machine needle having a projecting butt and a doubled shank below the same, both formed by bending the nee dle-stem, in combinationwith means, forming part of the metal of the butt and shank, for preventing lateral displacement of either member of said butt or shank in respect to the other.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses;

ROBERT W. SCOTT.

' Witnesses:

F. E. BECHTOLD, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

